Small Win
(Nozomi – after the duel)
Nozomi sat down in the main chamber with Eli, Maki, Lady Minami, Rin and Nico all looking at a map of the Minami lands.
"So what's the plan now?" Rin asked.
"Maki, tonight you and Nico will take your troops and march southeast till you reach the river, then go south following the river road till you reach castle Sakurauchi." Nozomi explained as she pointed out Maki's route "Rin has expressed a wish to go with you, she will stay here one more day so her troops have a bit more of a rest and then she'll set off after you and then screen your advance, all going well you should get there in three days, any questions so far?"
"Why do we not head straight there?" Rin asked.
"Because the road you will take is the quickest way out for Kira's forces, you will be cutting them off from escape, I want to try and cut their numbers best as possible."
"How many does Kira even have at full muster?" Maki asked with a glare at Lady Minami.
"When we started, I could have fifteen thousand, our clan at full muster was forty thousand." Lady Minami replied, "So I believe around twenty-five thousand."
"I wouldn't be so sure." Eli sighed "Alisa told me Yukiho has heard of rumours of mercenary and Sōhei forces in Kira's ranks..."
"And why didn't she bring this up before?" Lady Minami asked with a growl.
"She had no firm evidence, all she had heard was rumour and hearsay, she wasn't going to say anything that wasn't confirmed, bad intelligence is just as bad as no intelligence." Eli countered.
"So why mention it now?"
"Because I saw some mercenary forces in Sakura's army, this confirmed that Kira's army has increased, by a small amount at least."
"What does this mean?" Rin asked.
"Nothing good." Nozomi said "Eli, we need to secure this side of the river, I'll keep eight thousand here and tomorrow you will take twenty thousand and take the bridge, make sure no-one crosses except our side, that should buy time at least."
"What about Tatsumi's castle it guards the bridge, should we take it?"
"Only if its lightly garrisoned, if its strongly garrisoned do not try it, even without those replacements Kira now has we were too close in number for me to be comfortable with you trying, especially if we lose many troops taking a castle."
"Why not deploy all our forces at the first Sonoda castle?" Lady Minami asked.
"Because Yukiho doesn't know how many are on this side of the river, also the bridge is only one wagon wide, they could cut down large numbers of our troops before we even got close to the castle." Nozomi sighed "I will let you decide if you need to attack or not Eli but keep me informed if you attack."
"What do we do about the numbers though." Eli asked.
"I will have to try and reach out to the Ohara's." Nozomi replied.
"I doubt they will be willing to aid us." Lady Minami sighed.
"Why is that?" Maki asked with another glare.
"Our two clans almost ended up in a war, Kira said the Ohara's were supplying bandits, my husband ordered a raid into their land, since then they cut all contact."
"Sounds like Yoshiko." Nico spoke finally.
"Who?" Rin asked.
"Yoshiko, you might know her as Yohane, she's a fellow ninja that was working of the Sakurauchi's but she was also friends with the Ohara's, she was likely acting under Sakurauchi's orders though I could only guess at what she was doing."
"Do you know her?" Maki asked.
"Not really, we've met a few times."
"Girls please." Nozomi sighed 'That raid might make things a little harder.' Nozomi thought to herself 'Lady Ohara can be quite petty.'
"The Ohara's hate Kira as much as we do, I'm sure given a chance to talk with them they will join us, plus Mari is far more sympathetic to our cause then her mother is, it might take some time though."
"How so?" Lady Minami asked confused.
"As we do not have the south secured, I need the rider to head back to my lands and then to the Ohara's."
"Why not risk sending them straight south?"
"I don't want to risk that message falling into Kira's hands, now if there is nothing else then that will be all."
(Riko and Tsuki – Day after the duel)
"Riko are you sure about this?" Tsuki asked as she, Riko, Yoshiko and Hanamaru were in the meeting chamber.
"Deadly." Riko said with a scowl "The troops can't fight off one more attack, we have till morning before the next one and no ammo left, I've got no choice."
"Lady Minami…"
"Is not here Maru, we sent messages for her help two weeks ago and we've got nothing back and I don't want to bury anymore friends out there, so if I have to do this to save us, I will."
"But the Minami's army might still come Zura?" Hanamaru asked desperate to try to convince Riko out of her plan, Tsuki had to admit the situation was desperate and while she didn't want to admit it Riko's plan was the only hope they had.
"We don't even know if the army still exists or coming to us and even if she does come, we'll be dead before she gets here unless we do this." Riko said rubbing her face "I don't want to do this anymore than you do, but I have no choice, we can't save Yo if we are all dead or captured." Riko said as scrunched up the note she had been given earlier that day.
"And how are we meant to do that?" Yoshiko asked as she finished checking the wound on Hanamaru's leg.
"I don't know." Riko sighed "Look, let's just solve the issue at hand then worry about that!"
Tsuki could see the frustration growing rapidly in Riko's voice and anger in her eyes "We're worried about her too Riko."
"It's just different for some of us." Riko huffed "Yoshiko, get going."
Yoshiko nodded and then left the room once the ninja was gone Riko sighed "I know what you're thinking Maru."
"Lady Minami is not going to like this."
"As I said she's not here and right now I don't feel beholden to her right now."
"You mean abandoning the cause?" Hanamaru asked.
"I'm not sure we still have a cause left to abandon." Riko sighed before she left the chamber.
"This is a mess." Hanamaru sighed after Riko left "The worst part is Riko's right, but I just don't feel right doing this Zura."
"And neither does Riko, but this is our only option, for all we know right now we are all that's left and the only chance to save Yo." Tsuki sighed.
"And then what do we do?" Hanamaru asked "We can't fight all of Kira's army alone Zura."
"Get some sleep, you need it." Tsuki sigh as she left to go after Riko.
Once outside Tsuki saw Riko kneeling in front of the small grave in the courtyard, Tsuki walked quietly to the red head.
"How are you feeling?"
"If I'm really honest I'm not sure how I feel." Riko let out a sigh "But right now I'm only concerned about Yo." Riko sighed as she stood Tsuki stood next to her "I know Lady Minami will hate this, but I'm not about to sit here and die and I'm not going to leave Yo in his hands and I don't I want any of my friends to die, burying mum and dad was bad enough." Riko groaned as she pinched her nose.
"I know, I feel the same." Tsuki sighed as she looked at the graves "And as much as I hate it, you're right, Minami's not here and you have to decide on your own, if we get out of here and meet her, I'll support you."
"Well at least we agree on disliking it, I wish Yo was here." Riko sighed hugging herself.
"We will save her Riko." Tsuki smiled to the younger girl "By the way, how long were you two seeing each other and why keep it secret?"
"We're not." Riko sighed "After what happened to Umi, we knew what Kira had done and was planning something, so the two of us were trying to plan for it, we had to do it in secret to not have Kira pull something similar to what he did to Umi on us, not that it helped us from stopping Kira."." Riko let out a sigh "My emotions developed from there, look right now I don't want to talk about it Tsuki."
"It's ok." Tsuki smiled "Get some sleep Riko, I'll wake up when Yoshiko gets back."
"Thank you Tsuki."
"Anything for family."
"I'm not family."
"Not yet." Tsuki smiled.
'Just hold on Yo, I'm coming, just hold on for me a little longer.' Riko thought as she went back inside her heart bursting with worry and fear 'I'm coming, even if I have to go alone.'
(Umi and Kotori – night-time the day of the duel)
"Does it hurt?" Kotori said as she wetted the cloth in her hands.
"Its stings, but it will be fine." Umi sighed as she held her right hand out, she had insisted that the cut was fine and Kotori didn't need to trouble herself but Kotori had insisted and her Onigai face had sealed the argument.
"I'm sorry about Dia."
"I am to." Umi said as she glanced over to the corner, seeing Saki sleeping soundly "She didn't deserve that fate." Umi sighed 'How am I going to save her sister?' Umi wondered starting to regret her promise.
Kotori gently took ups Umi's fingers in her free and as lightly as she could began to wrap the cut, making Umi hiss slightly at the contact "Sorry."
"It's fine, I'm used to it." Umi said looking away, feeling her cheeks burn and heartbeat faster 'Don't even think of it.'
"You shouldn't have to be."
"It's done Lady Kotori."
"Umi, can't you just use my name if were alone."
"I can't, it wouldn't be proper."
"No one's going to see or hear."
"I'm sorry I can't." Umi said closing her eyes while trying to push down the disappointed feeling in her heart at herself as she heard Kotori sigh.
"Why do you look away?"
"Huh?" Umi turned back confused.
"When I'm holding Saki, I see you look away at times, why?"
Umi took a deep breath, she wished she could lie to Kotori, but she never could, Kotori knew her to well they had grown up together "Because, when I see you and her together sometimes it makes me think of the family I wished for, with you." Umi said looking down "When I see it sometimes the feelings get too hard to bear, my heart twists, but I also feel like a ghost, a hollow shell watching what she wants to her fate, because that's what I am."
"Umi, you're not a hollow shell," Kotori said as she finished tying the bandage "no one will replace you in my eyes," Kotori reached up and placed her hand on Umi's cheek and leaned closer "this heart of mine has always been yours."
"I know." Umi swallowed moving her eyes slight behind Kotori, being this close and with Kotori's hand on her cheek made Umi feel like she was suffocating but in a good way, a way that made her honour scream "As will mine, but I just can't, not after I fa…"
"Umi!" Kotori said in raised whisper making Umi bring her gaze back, "You never failed me, never." Umi got lost in the golden eyes for a moment, they were always hypnotic to her, she was sure her heart was beating in her head and she was sure she could feel Kotori's heat beat through the ashen girl's hand.
After a moment Umi turned away with her ears on fire "We need to get to bed Lady Kotori." Umi said breathless as she realised, she'd been holding her breath.
"I feel like a stranger when you use that title." Kotori said as she took her hand away, which Umi immediately missed 'Mother please just give me a sign, a dream, anything to let me know what to do, please, its driving me mad.' Umi thought as she looked up and saw Kotori carrying the bowl and cloth away with a tragic look to her eye, Umi wasn't sure why, maybe it was the emotions she was feeling right now but her voice left her throat before she could think.
"Kotori, wait!"
"Umi?" Kotori sniffed and Umi could see faint tears pricking at the girl's eyes and it made the next sentence exit her mouth before she could even think.
"If you're sure, then I'll not call you Lady Kotori, so long it's in private and we're alone." Umi spoke rapidly and she could hear her honour screaming at her and Umi immediately thought about how to retract but then Kotori spoke.
"Thank you." The ashen girl smiled her heart bursting 'A small win at last.' Kotori thought "And you're not allowed to go back on it now. I'll go deal with this you better get changed, you've had a hard day and could use the rest." Kotori smiled as she left the tent.
'What are you doing!?' Umi's honour shouted, 'Go back on it.'
Umi then heard a second voice speak up 'She can't, she had an order from a Lady, it would be dishonourable to disobey.' Umi wasn't sure where that voice came from but she found herself agreeing with it, with a small smile on her face.